A new class of amidines having pharmaceutical properties is the subject of the present invention. Administration of these substances to mammals produces diuretic, antithrombogenic, smooth muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory and antiarrhythmic effects therein.
Diuretics can be grouped according to their molecular structure into four general classifications. They are, in their chronological order of introduction as therapeutics, organomercurial compounds, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, thiazides typified by 6-chloro-7-sulfamoyl-1,2,4-benzothiadiazine-1,1-dioxide (chlorothiazide), and a miscellaneous group of chemically unrelated compounds. Among the miscellaneous group of compounds are: 4-chloro-N-furfuryl-5-sulfamoylanthranilic acid (furosemide), 2,4,7-triamino-6-phenyl-pteridine (triamterene) and certain steroid compounds which are aldosterone antagonists. As a chemical class, the N-phenyl amidines of the present invention differ structurally from the aforementioned classes of diuretic agents.
The principal function of a diuretic is to reduce the volume of extracellular fluid in order to eliminate edema or prevent its development. Along with the enhancement of the urinary excretion of water, diuretics generally produce an elimination of electrolytes such as sodium, chloride, potassium, and bicarbonate ions. In many instances, as with the thiazides, there is a non-selective elimination of electrolytes and electrolyte imbalance results, particularly with respect to potassium depletion which leads to muscular weakness.